DETROIT (Sept. 18, 2012) – Wayne State University’s Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering will host the 2012 Forest E. Brammer Endowed Lecture from 1:30-3 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 19, in the College of Engineering’s Marvin I. Danto Engineering Development Center. This year’s lecture, titled “Wireless Health: New Technology and a New Industry,” will be given by William J. Kaiser, professor of electrical engineering at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA).

Wireless health – a rapidly growing field – aims to advance the quality and accessibility of health care through new and personal wireless platforms, networked sensing systems and embedded computing. Kaiser’s presentation will describe a new form of detailed motion monitoring of individuals based on wireless health sensing, computing, networking and sensor fusion methods. Kaiser also will discuss how elite athletes can use wireless health motion analysis to measure and improve upon running efficiencies and techniques.

“Experts all around the world in medicine, engineering, nursing, public health and other fields are focused in on wireless health and its unprecedented value,” said Yang Zhao, chair of Wayne State’s Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. “We are honored to have one of the nation’s leading scholars address our students, faculty and community members at this year’s Brammer lecture.”

In addition to his role as a professor at UCLA, Kaiser serves as co-director of the UCLA Wireless Health Institute. He received a Ph.D. in solid state physics from Wayne State University in 1984. From 1977 to 1986, as a member of the Ford Motor Co. research staff, his development of automotive sensor and embedded system technology resulted in large volume commercial sensor production that is still used today. From 1986 through 1994, at the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, he initiated the microinstrument program for distributed sensing and led instrument development for the prototype Mars rover. Kaiser served as chair of electrical engineering at UCLA from 1996 through 2000. He has written more than 220 publications, given more than 140 invited presentations, and holds 36 patents.

The Forest E. Brammer Endowed Lecture Series was established in 1990 in recognition of Forest E. Brammer, a long-time Wayne State professor and chair of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering who retired in 1982. The series, which is supported by family, alumni, students and friends, honors Brammer’s many contributions and distinguished service to the department, college and university.

Past Brammer lectures have featured renowned experts such as Nisha Talagala, (B.S. ’91, M.S. ’92), Robert F. Brammer, Michael Shur, Robert Thomas, Rob Rutenbar (B.S. ’78), Stephen A. Jatras, Laxmi E. Bhuyan (Ph.D. ’82), Dennis Wilkie (BS ‘64, MS ‘66), and Neil A. Schilke.

The lecture is free and open to the public. A reception will follow in the lobby of the auditorium. For more information, contact Zhao at yzhao@wayne.edu.

Wayne State University is a premier urban research institution of higher education offering more than 370 academic programs through 13 schools and colleges to nearly 29,000 students. For more information about engineering at Wayne State University, visit engineering.wayne.edu.